MCI headmaster to meet community at cookout

PITTSFIELD — As part of Maine Central Institute’s Homecoming Weekend events, a community cookout has been planned to give SAD 53 friends, parents and residents a chance to welcome the school’s new headmaster.

Christopher Hopkins and his family will be on hand from 5:30 to 6:45 tonight at the MCI track field to meet with residents. The cookout will serve as the formal commencement of a new project for the school to provide firewood for needy families.

“Wood for the Neighborhood, Because Community Works” is the name of the project, which was selected through a contest among students.

An anonymous donor al-ready has provided 10 cords of wood, and the school is expect-ing 20 more. The wood is lo-cated in the area next to MCI’s music building.

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The goal is to collect as much wood as possible and then, once it is stockpiled, to provide it free or at little cost.

The school will be using vol-unteers to split and stack the wood. Any donations from re-cipients will be donated to pur-chase oil for families in need.

Headmaster Hopkins brought up the idea, which he said fits with his overall theme for this school year of citizen-ship.